Curved Lines, How to Make Them Using GIMP

Curved lines to form a tear drop

Below are instruction for using GIMP to make the curved lines around a tear drop.

Watch video

To help you understand the instructions below, it may be useful to watch this 5-minute video first.

1. Download some water

Go to freeimages.com & search for lake. Click on a royalty-free image to enlarge it. Use Cmd/Shift/4 to select a portion of water that is the approximate dimensions of the teardrop.

 

2. Draw textured teardrop

We will draw a teardrop on the lake so that it can have some texture. Here are the steps:

1. 1. Upload rectangular picture from lake into GIMP.
   2. Click on Paths tool icon.
   3. Click near the bottom left edge  (watch animated GIF on the right) of the lake picture.
   4. Click  on the right edge directly opposite the first click. A thin line automatically connects the 2 dots. After clicking, do NOT lift your finger from the mouse.
   5. By keeping your finger on the mouse and moving it a bit, the 2 handles will show up. (See the animated GIF to the right.) Click on a handle, hold down and move. Experiment to see what happens. Create the bottom curve of the teardrop.

1. Click Stroke Path. Increase the line width to, say, 12 pixels. Click the Stroke button.
2. Click on any icon such as the Rectangle Select tool to save the line.
3. You will see the bottom of the curved line as a wide permanent line.
4. Using the methods above, draw the two curved sides of the  teardrop.
5. Click on the Pencil tool.
6. Change the size to 12.
7. Use the animated GIF beneath Draw textured teardrop above. Notice how the Pencil tool was used to fill in all of the space outside the teardrop with a solid colour.
8. Use the Fuzzy Select tool.
9. Click on the solid colour part and then click the Delete key. You will see the teardrop. Everything else will be invisible.

More about curved lines

Watch a video about the GIMP Paths tool.